Jurgen Klopp: Liverpool deserve punishment if found guilty of fielding ineligible player in Carabao Cup

Pedro Chirivella is the player at the centre of the controversy.
AFP/Getty Images
David Lynch1 October 2019

Jurgen Klopp has conceded that Liverpool deserve to be punished if they are to blame for fielding an ineligible player in the Carabao Cup.

But the German insists his primary concern is the welfare of the player at the centre of the controversy, Pedro Chirivella.

The EFL are currently conducting an investigation into whether or not the Reds had gained international clearance for Chirivella before using him as a second-half substitute in their third-round win over MK Dons last week.

The Spaniard's paperwork may not have been in order after a disastrous loan spell with Extremadura last term in which he failed to make a single appearance as a result of an administrative error involving his transfer documentation.

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Asked about the investigation, which could result in Liverpool being thrown out of the competition, Klopp said: "I cannot say too much. Other people are working on it. If it was our fault alone, we need to get punished.

"It didn’t happen on purpose but my only real concern is the player. He could not play in Spain and if he were not able to play now, that would be the biggest problem.

"I am not sure we made a mistake but the player should not be punished."

The Reds, who are scheduled to face Arsenal in the next round of the competition, released a statement regarding the investigation last weekend.

It read: "The club are aware of a potential administrative issue pertaining to one of our players.

"We are working with the relevant authorities in order to establish the facts of the matter and will be making no further comment until this process is complete."

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